Never Too Late
by KP02
Summary: Bruce had an emergency pager from when he was on the run. It was for those people that he was concerned about, or that he trusted. If someone had a bad medical condition, he would sometimes give them the pager number. It was mostly when there were children though. He was a sucker for children. What happens when Bruce leaves again? No Slash!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: And welcome to the fourth installment! *checks to make sure this is the fourth* With this one, it might be better to at least read Awake and Alive first. You don't have to, but some of the stuff will make more sense. Other than that, enjoy! :D**

* * *

_**Even if I say it'll be alright **_

_**Still I hear you say you want to end your life **_

_**Now and again we try to just stay alive **_

_**Maybe we'll turn it around 'cause it's not too late **_

_**It's never too late**_

_**-Never Too Late; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

Bruce had an emergency pager from when he was on the run. It was for those people that he was concerned about, or that he trusted. If someone had a bad medical condition, he would sometimes give them the pager number. It was mostly when there were children though. He was a sucker for children.

However, he had honestly forgotten he even had it. Until the dumb thing went off in the middle of the night. Then he was searching for the beeping pager in the pitch black of his room.

"Stupid pager. Who's trying to get ahold of me anyways?" He muttered, finally unearthing the source of the beeps. He squinted at it a few moments before pushing his glasses on his nose. There was a simple phone number on it. Bruce sighed and grabbed his phone. Whatever this person needed, they probably needed to talk to him now. It was only a few rings before whoever was on the other end picked up.

"Bruce? Is this you?" A man asked. Bruce's tired mind noted the heavy African accent, the actual voice only sparking a faint recognition.

"Ah, yes, this is Bruce. Who is this?" He questioned, racking his brain to remember.

"This is Kofi. Do you not remember?" Bruce remembered now; a small village in the Bush, a dying mother and child, and a promise.

"Yes, I remember." He said quietly, running a hand through his hair.

"Good! Listen, my daughter, she is sick, other doctors don't know what to do." Kofi was worried, Bruce could tell. He had birthed Kofi's daughter, Abeni, close to two years ago. She had been two months premature, it was miracle that she was still alive, and there was no doubt that she had health problems. It was no wonder that the local doctors didn't know what was wrong.

"What is wrong with her, how does she feel?" He asked, quickly pulling out his duffel bag and throwing some clothes into it.

"She has been vomiting, and is very hot. She gets tired very easily." Kofi listed off the symptoms. Bruce winced. Of course it was serious. He started writing a note to everyone, explaining what happened.

"Kofi, listen, I want you to put her somewhere that no one else will go, build a hut for her if you have to, but you have make sure that no one else will be around her. This is highly contagious, other people can catch it easily." He said, grabbing the bag and heading towards the lab. He didn't even notice the note falling behind the bureau.

"Jarvis, turn off all alarms until I'm gone." He hissed, covering the phone.

"Yes sir."

"I will do this. Will you come?" Kofi asked.

"Yes, I will come." Bruce said.

"Good. I will see you soon, friend." Kofi hung up, and Bruce tucked his phone into his pocket before beginning to gather up the supplies he would need. He was just glad that Stark Industries had a good medical line, and that Tony kept samples in the lab. Otherwise there could be problems.

* * *

Tony was always a late riser, and today was no exception. It was odd however, that Bruce still wasn't up. Usually as soon as he stepped out of the elevator into the lab, he could hear the doctor muttering to himself, and, on particularly bad days, things banging. Today there was just silence. He glanced around, no sign of the rumpled doctor.

"Bruce?" He called.

"I'm afraid Dr. Banner left late last night." Jarvis' cool voice rang out. Tony cursed, banging his hand on a table.

"Wake everyone up, tell them to meet in Banner's room." He said coldly, walking out.

"Of course, Mr. Stark."

* * *

_Somewhere in Africa…_

It hadn't been difficult to find a flight to Africa with Tony's card. From there, he rented a Jeep and sped to the interior, reciting everything he knew about Lassa Fever in his head. The symptoms were exactly what little Abeni had. It was transmitted by mice, but that was useless information, he couldn't exactly kill all the mice in the village, even with the Hulk. Normally it wasn't deadly, but with someone like Abeni it could be, because of her complications. Luckily Tony had plenty of Ribavirin, the antiviral drug used to treat it. Bruce really wasn't sure why, and wasn't really sure he wanted to know. All he knew was that he was thankful. He also had a barrel of fresh water in the back of the Jeep. It should be able to last while he was there; Abeni would need clean, fresh water.

* * *

**Quick Note: I forgot to tell people; in the last chapter of Done Hanging On, the little boy, Neal, was from White Collar. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And the plot already is thickening in this chapter. Can you say multiple source of angst for me to play with? :D **

* * *

_**Now it seems I'm fading **_

_**All my dreams are not worth saving **_

_**I've done my share of waiting**_

_**And I've still got nowhere else to go**_

_**-Take Me Under; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

As soon as Bruce pulled into the village he was swarmed by people, both young and old. They were all chattering at him in their language, which he could only understand if spoken clearly and slowly, which they definitely weren't. He parked the Jeep and gave a small wave, relieved when he saw a familiar face pushing through the small crowd.

"Doctor Banner! It is good that you are here so soon, two more children have fallen ill." Koji's face was serious, and Bruce quickly grabbed his bag and jumped from the Jeep.

"Show me." He ordered. Koji nodded and spoke rapidly to one of the men in the crowd before leading Bruce towards a small hut that looked vaguely familiar.

"Your home was empty, so we put the children inside, separate from others, like you said." That explained the familiarity.

"Good job Koji, that's perfect." Bruce replied, ducking under the blanket covering door. Inside were three small children huddled on a mat, a blanket over them despite the almost overwhelming heat. Abeni was in the middle, the smallest of the three. Bruce knelt by the bed and opened his bag to take out a thermometer, placing it under the arm of the child on the far left. He repeated the process for the other two, careful not to wake them.

"Will they be alright?" Koji questioned from behind him. Bruce put the thermometer away and shrugged.

"They likely will. Lassa Fever is fairly common in these parts. I'm mostly worried about Abeni because of her lowered immune system. The bacteria can quickly infect her and develop it into something more serious, which is never good." And now Bruce had successfully made an already worried father even more worried. And confused. That was brilliant.

"Er, I mean, they'll be fine." He said with a smile. Koji returned it, but the crinkle between his eyes didn't fade.

"I need the stuff in my Jeep though, so I'll be right back." Bruce stood and started towards the door, but Koji stopped him.

"There are men already bringing it now." He said. Bruce nodded.

"Alright. By the way, where's the phone you called me on? Mine got stepped on at the airport." He said, holding up the smashed phone.

"Ah, that's too bad. The phone I called you on is miles away." Koji said, drawing the curtain away to allow the men carrying his things. There weren't many, just a backpack and the barrel.

"Er, thanks. Just put it down over there." Bruce motioned to the corner, then glanced at his watch. He was fairly certain that Tony and the rest would be here soon, his note had told him to come with more medicine.

* * *

_At the Tower…_

It was a smaller group that gathered in Bruce's room, only Tony, Peter, Natasha, and Steve. Tony was obviously wound up, prowling around the room with a dark look. Peter wasn't sure what was wrong, but the scary Russian was suddenly looking a lot safer.

"Where are Clint and Thor?" Tony all but growled.

"Clint has a broken leg. I told him to stay in bed." Natasha replied, her voice calm. Tony stopped pacing.

"A broken leg? Did I know that?"

"No." Natasha replied shortly. Once again Peter found himself edging towards the nice Captain, away from the crazy people.

"What about Thor?" Tony resumed his pacing.

"Thor went to New Mexico, something about 'Lady Jane'." Steve answered, "what's going on anyways? Where's Dr. Banner?" An excellent question in Peter's opinion, considering they were in the doctor's room.

"He ran." With those two words, the tension in room rose, but he wasn't really sure why.

"Again? Why?" Natasha asked. Tony shook his head.

"No idea. All I know is that he got a phone call late last night and took off for Africa. His cell phone GPS isn't working either. Think you find him again?" Tony replied.

"Uh, what's with all the 'again' stuff? Has this happened before?" Peter interrupted, drawing everyone's attention. And disbelief.

"Does no one read the files?" Natasha asked. Peter shrugged.

"I had school, and, stuff…" He trailed off.

"Bruce has been running for years now, six months here was probably the longest he'd stayed somewhere in a long time. Whenever he fells threatened, or like he's endangering someone, he'll run." Natasha explained, "I can find him, just give me a few hours." All three men watched her stride out of the room before Steve asked another question.

"So you're bringing him back?" Tony's face got serious again.

"No, I'm beating the shit out of him, Hulk or no. Then I'll drag him back."

* * *

_Somewhere in Africa…_

Bruce currently felt like he'd been dragged through the desert sand with no shirt, in the middle of the day. It was boiling hot in the hut, and between that and the fact that Tony was still a no-show, his anger level was definitely rising. It was actually fairly surprising, considering he'd only been here half a day. He though he had a better lid on his anger than that, but it was really hot. And the other two kids were just well enough to get on his nerves. He loved kids, really. He just didn't like them asking questions. They always wanted to know what he was doing, and after he told them came the dreaded question; why. Since they didn't really understand any medical terms, he couldn't explain it to them in his broken understanding of their language. He finally decided that they weren't going to die if he ducked out for a moment and did so, loving the fresh air and slight breeze. It was there that Koji found him.

"There are strange men." The tall man stated after a few moments. Bruce frowned.

"What do they look like?" He asked. Koji shrugged.

"White men look the same. These ones wear uniforms like your military." Bruce closed his eyes. It seemed as though Ross had finally caught up with him. He couldn't leave now though.

"Can you watch them and tell me if they come closer?" He asked. Koji nodded and almost walked away, then seemed to reconsider.

"Are you in trouble?" He asked. Bruce almost laughed, but kept it to a smirk.

"You could put it that way."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Not the biggest fan of this part, it seemed a lot better in my head… *sighs* Oh well, please review! **

* * *

_**I'm too young to lose my soul**_

_**I'm too young to feel this old **_

_**So long, I'm left behind **_

_**I feel like I'm losing my mind**_

_**-World So Cold; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

It wasn't until the next day that Koji ducked into the hut.

"Bruce, there are more strange men. They just landed a flyer near the village." He said, worry obvious. Bruce stood up from where he was kneeling next to the children.

"Take me to them." He said. Koji nodded and started walking, leading him to the outskirts. As soon as Bruce saw the Quinjet, he knew what was going on.

"Don't worry Koji, I know them." He assured the other man, waving at the four that were disembarking. None of them looked very happy, and he had to wonder where Clint and Thor were.

"Tony! Did you bring the medicines?" He called, then frowned when he saw Tony's face. He looked angry. Was he upset about Bruce assuming that he would bring medicines?

"I am going back to the village." Bruce nodded absentmindedly at Koji, then turned his attention back to the team. Tony wasn't the only one who looked ticked, Natasha and Steve didn't look happy, although Peter just looked somewhat confused.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked when they got a little closer.

"You ran." Was all Tony said, but his face said a lot more. Natasha and Steve stood behind him, arms crossed and faces stony. Peter looked as though he was trying to figure out what he was supposed to be doing.

"That's what you think?" Bruce crossed his arms, feeling his anger level rise. A lot. After six months of living with the man, he thought that at least Tony might know him better. He hadn't been around the rest as much, but Tony was supposed to know him better.

"What am I supposed to think Bruce? We woke up, and you were gone. Sound familiar?" Tony was obviously already upset.

"Did you check my room? Or did you just assume the worst?" Bruce demanded. If they had, the note should have been found. Unless they didn't want it to be found.

"Of course we checked your room! It was empty. You weren't there." Tony said, looking almost sullen now. Bruce's hands were at his side at this point, fists clenched.

"You know, I thought-" He shook his head, "never mind, I'm going for a walk now." He took off walking into the desert, then turned for a moment.

"If you want to do something other than accuse me, you can go into that hut and give the three children a tablespoon of medicine." He kept walking, his fists still clenched. It hurt somehow, that all of them believed that he'd run again. Really, nothing had even happened recently either, other than the robot thing. And he had to patch up Clint's leg, but that was almost no emotional stress. He suddenly stopped walking, then sighed.

"Peter, I know you're there." He said without turning around.

"Is that some sort of side effect? I know I have awesome spidey senses, but I'm just not sure how you'd know, especially as I haven't even made a sound." Bruce almost smiled, but then remembered he was angry at Tony. Peter walked up next to him, his brown hair in his eyes.

"Just for the record, I had no idea what was going on." Peter said, with a little smile. Bruce shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking.  
"Yeah, I figured. It's the reason I'm not mad at you." He said with a small smile.

"That's good. I like Big Green and all but I'd rather not see him right now." Peter laughed. Bruce smiled again, feeling his anger levels go down, until he felt something prick the back of his neck and everything get fuzzy. Koji's concerns slowly started to come back and he tried to tell Peter to run away.

"Doc? You okay?" Peter's face was darkening, the whole world was, and he had to wonder how night could fall so quickly, last he checked it was still afternoon, and when did Peter get so tall?

* * *

Peter was pretty much freaking out. He and Bruce had just been walking along, and he was fairly certain that Bruce had been calming down, when some sort of dart sprouted out of the back of the doctor's neck and suddenly he was getting really relaxed. Now men in uniforms were coming out of nowhere.

"Just walk away now and we won't hurt you." One of them shouted as they all pointed large guns at him. Peter raised his hands. He'd had guns pointed at him before, and to be honest, he still didn't like it.

"Hey guys, c'mon, it doesn't have to be like that, right? Do you really want to do this?" He asked. A bullet flying by his ear was the only answer he needed.

"Um, okay, apparently you do. Well, listen, this guy is my friend, and I kinda don't want him to get hurt or anything, so you might want to leave before I have to get serious." He glanced behind him, trying to figure out how far away the village was. However, even the Quinjet looked small, so there was no chance of sprinting back. Besides, that would involve leaving Bruce, something that sounded like a bad idea.

"Kid, I have orders. And those orders are to bring Bruce Banner to my superior-" The man stopped talking, and Peter recognized the look on his face as a person who was listening to a comm unit.

"Orders have changed." Peter could only watch as the man drew another gun and shot him with it. His last thought before everything went black was why the man was using a different gun.

* * *

_With Everyone Else…_

"You are Bruce's friends?" The tall black man greeted them at the edge of the village. Tony wasn't responding, so Steve took the job.

"Yes, we are." He replied, smiling. The other man smiled back.

"I am Koji. Bruce delivered my daughter, Abeni, two years ago." He introduced himself.

"I'm Steve, and this is Tony and Natasha." The captain said.

"Yes, you are part of these, Avengers, correct?" Koji questioned.

"Uh, how did you know about us?" Steve was fairly certain that they didn't the news out here. Koji smiled even wider.

"People assume that we know nothing because we live here. There is a large town only a few miles away. I knew who Bruce was when I called him."

"You called him?" Of course Tony caught onto that part. Koji nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course, he delivered my daughter, so he is the one I called when she fell ill."

"How did you call him?" Natasha this time. Koji frowned.  
"Did you not know? He has a, what is it, pager? Yes, pager. He told me how to call it, and I did." Koji explained. Despite his broken English, they could all understand what he was saying. And that they were idiots. It was as they were all kicking themselves that a young man ran up and began speaking to Koji in his native language. The African was looking steadily more concerned, replying in short, terse sentences before turning back to them.

"Dr. Banner and the other white man have been kidnapped. The men in uniform took them." He said. Tony kicked the ground.

"Now I have to rescue him, then kick his ass for not just waking me up!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Two updates in one day! Mostly because I still don't like the last chapter, so I wanted to put one that I remotely like up. :P**

**Edited a few hours after updating... Scene replacement!  
**

* * *

_**I can't escape this hell**_

_**So many times I've tried **_

_**But I'm still caged inside **_

_**Somebody get me through this nightmare**_

_**I can't control myself**_

_**-Animal I Have Become; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

Bruce was fairly certain that being used to waking up in restraints with a bad headache was a sign of needing to change professions. He bit back the groan that came with consciousness and tried to remember what happened. He remembered being mad at Tony, although he wasn't sure why, he remembered walking in the desert, and trying to tell Peter to run. After that everything was a blank. Even some of before that. He just really hoped someone remembered to give the children medicine.

"Are you sure he can't move?" And there was Ross. Of course.

"Yes, I'm sure. I designed these specifically with him in mind." Well, that was a new person, if voices were anything to go by. Whoever it was, was an idiot. The Hulk couldn't be constrained.

"Good. And the other one?" What other one? Of course, Peter was an idiot and got himself captured as well. One more person on his already filled conscience. Although Bruce had a feeling that pretty soon he wouldn't be nearly as worried about his conscience.

"We haven't determined exactly who he is or what he was doing with Banner. He claims to not have any powers, and even Jerry couldn't get anything out of him." Bruce stiffened involuntarily at the thought of what they had probably done to Peter. He didn't deserve that, he was just a stupid kid.

"Banner, you're awake, aren't you?" Of course Ross noticed that little stiffening, he was a military genius. The next moment there was an almost punch to his side and Bruce reluctantly opened his eyes. He was strapped to a table with Ross and another man in a laboratory coat standing over him. The room he was in had high ceilings with metal rafters, and he thought absentmindedly how much Clint would love it. He was jerked back to the present with Ross looming over him.

"Well, Banner, who's the kid?" The general demanded.

"Nice to see you to, general. I'd shake your hand, but I seem to be otherwise occupied." Even as the slap came Bruce contemplated that maybe he was spending too much time around Tony, if he was sounding that much like him.

"He's no one, just someone I befriended while I was here." Bruce ground out, his cheek still stinging. Ross leaned over a little.

"Well, I'd hate for your little friend to get hurt, so how about you cooperate with us?" He asked. Bruce was fairly certain that Peter could take care of himself, but it never hurt to play along.

"I don't have much choice, now do I?"

* * *

Peter was fairly certain this was what hell was like. Blow after blow had landed on his body, and he really wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

"You gonna tell us who you are?" The man beating him leaned over, mouth pulled into a perpetual sneer.

"Tourist." Peter gasped out. It was a matter of pride now, not telling him. The man barked out a laugh. It sounded rusty, like he didn't use it enough.

"A tourist would be offering me everything in his bank account by now."

"Not. Enough. To, interest you." Breathing hurt, and he was fairly certain that his arm was at least sprained, if not broken.

"I don't know if you're stubborn." Another punch to the gut, "or just plain stupid." A kick to the head had him plunging into merciful darkness.

* * *

Nobody but Tony knew how he had set up a command center in the jet. If you asked him, he would just say that he was a genius. Which was probably true. He currently had two tracking systems going, one for Bruce, and the other for Ross. Apparently Peter wasn't as traceable as the other two. He was on the phone with Pepper at the same time, and Natasha and Steve could really only watch.

"Yeah Pep, this really is important…..I'm not being ridiculous!...Aw c'mon, it can't be that hard, I have like a thousand jets, just fly one out!" A long pause, with him fiddling at a keyboard, then in a wheedling voice; "It's for Bruce….And the children! Think of the children!...Thanks Pep, I owe you a steak dinner."

"What was that all about?" Steve asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's just a thing I'm working on for-" Tony was cut off by one of the computers beeping. "Gotcha! Looks like we have General Ross near here, in an underground bunker. Perfect place to hold a Hulk." He rolled his eyes at their accusing glances.

"If I wanted to hold one. Not like I would, but I'm just saying." He said, then grabbed pushed the button to put on his suit.

"Let's go kick the general's butt."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I rewrote the part with Bruce like five times… I just couldn't quite get it right away. Anyways, you really don't care, do you? Just move on past this silly little note and go to the story! :D**

**Actually, quick question: I have an idea for a Hunger Games fanfic and was wondering if someone would like to co-author with me?  
**

* * *

_**On the ground I lay motionless in pain **_

_**I can see my life flashing before my eyes **_

_**Dead I fall asleep, is this all a dream **_

_**Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare**_

_**-Time of Dying; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

_In an Underground Bunker…_

When Peter woke up the world was white. Bright, overwhelming white. He closed his eyes with a groan and tried to remember what happened. It all came flooding back, along with a headache that was on the verge of a migraine. He tried to move his arms and bit back another groan when his left arm shot serious pain through his shoulder. When he breathed deep, his ribs didn't feel much better. But, he was Spider-Man. He could handle it. If he could fight the Lizard with a gunshot wound in his leg, he could deal with this.

"Well now, the boy is awake." Peter knew that voice, it was the same man who had beaten him. He opened his eyes and struggled into a sitting position, using the wall behind him as a prop. In front of him there was the man, his face twisted into a grotesque mask by a scar running along the side.

"You know, there's people who can fix your face, it's not that hard anymore." Peter pointed out, going for a carefree grin despite the pain in his split lip. He was expecting the punch to the gut and tried to tell himself it didn't hurt that bad, even as he started coughing, causing more pain in his ribs.

"You should shut your mouth more kid, or someone's going to shut it for you." The man said. Peter kept smiling.

"Yep, I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Bruce had been certain that nothing could be more uncomfortable than being strapped down to the cold metal table. However, he was fairly certain that wherever these guys were taking him couldn't be much better. His fears were confirmed when they shoved him, none too gently, into a decent sized room. The downside was the chains hanging from the ceiling and across the floor. He struggled a little to see what would happen. One of them punched him in the gut, leaving him gasping for breath while they chained him. There wasn't much danger of the Other Guy coming out from it, but it still hurt, especially with them wrenching his arms upward, almost dislocating his shoulders. His weight was put on his shoulders, lifting him into the air and they clasped manacles around his ankles. One of them gave him a parting gift of another punch to the stomach before they left, leaving him gasping for breath and unable to bend over to relieve the pain.

"You know, I think this is a little extreme." He said once he had his breath back. No one was in the room, but he had no doubt that Ross was listening somewhere.

"Nothing is extreme when it comes to the monster." Ross's voice, coming over an intercom. Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Just so you know, it's not really enough. At all." He commented, wishing he could scratch his nose, but his arms were pulled far too tight. His shoulders were on the verge of popping

"Oh, those are just to make sure you don't get too comfortable. The room you are in should be sufficient to contain the beast." Bruce glanced around, agreeing with the general in his mind. It looked a lot like the Hulk-out room in the Tower; no doubt the walls were re-enforced. A small door opened, admitting a nervous looking man in a lab coat. He held a needle in his right hand and slowly approached.

"I uh, just need to, take a little blood." He said. Bruce shook his head.

"I don't really think that's the best idea." Whatever he could do to stop Ross from taking his blood. At this point frightening a man was the least of his worries, even if it did look as though the guy was about to have a heart attack, glancing around the room.

"Just do it, he can't do anything to you!" Ross yelled. Bruce grinned as creepily as possible.

"He's lying, I can smash you right there." He said as calmly as possible. The lab guy looked about ready to wet himself.

"In fact, I feel a little angry right now, so you might want to come back later." Bruce had him on the run, he fled out the door.

"Well-played, Doctor Banner." A new man walked in the door, the same one that had been with Ross earlier.

"I must say, I've read your research, and it's brilliant. Just brilliant. I'm a great admirer."

"Well, it's always nice to meet someone who appreciates my work." Bruce smirked, quick to note the needle in the man's hand. This guy didn't appear to be as easily cowed as the first one.

"I don't suppose your professional respect would convince you not to use that?" He nodded at the needle. The man gave a short laugh.

"Oh no, it's because of my respect that I'm doing it! I love the work you did on the serum, it's genius! We need more like you, people who are trained to control it!" As he spoke, the man was edging closer. Bruce knew that he couldn't let that needle get any closer and he scowled.

"If that gets much closer, I'm going to get angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." He warned. The man laughed again.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. We have some of the serum that Doctor Stern developed." Bruce grinned.

"See, that's the thing. Needles don't work on me when I'm green." He closed his eyes and in the next moment he was deep inside himself, unable to do anything but hope the other guy could break out of there, and grab Peter in the process.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Only one more chapter! Maybe two, but probably one. The last one is my favorite though. :D**

* * *

_**So what if you can see the darkest side of me **_

_**No one will ever change this animal I have become **_

_**Help me believe it's not the real me **_

_**Somebody help me tame this animal I have become**_

_**-Animal I Have Become; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

Peter was fairly certain that it was a bad thing when three men came in and grabbed him. That was about all he could think of past the waves of pain as they dragged him down the hallway and thrust him into a room with an older man in a high-ranking uniform.

"Tell me, why does Banner choose someone as weak as you to hang around?" Peter grinned.

"I might not be as weak as you think." He said. There was a roar right after he spoke, and Peter recognized it right away.

"Sounds like you're having some problems." He commented. The man's face hardened.

"Not for long. As soon as Banner kills you, he'll be too devastated to fight us anymore." The man motioned and the other three dragged him towards a door. Peter had to wonder why in the world villains did that, tell their victim all their plans. It seemed like a bad thing to do. However, that was all the time he had to think about it, as the goons shoved him through the door before quickly shutting it. He managed to land on his feet, and stay there, but he doubted that would help against the very angry Hulk that was banging around the room. He was a little worried, he'd dealt with the Hulk before, but never while he was this angry.

"Hey, Big Green." Better to get himself noticed now rather than later. The Hulk turned, a scowl still on his face.

"How ya doin'?" Peter leaned against the wall, wincing a little. The Hulk moved closer, his scowl fading a little.

"Yep, you know me, don't you?" Peter grinned. Looks like his nervousness was unfounded. The Hulk moved even closer.

"Buggy." The word was almost a growl and it took him a moment to decipher it.

"Buggy? Really, Buggy?" He winced again, this time at the nickname. Sure, it wasn't as bad as Cupid, but still… The Hulk nodded.

"Buggy." Peter rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. We have bigger worries. But I'm having words with you about appropriate nicknames later." He glanced around the room, trying to figure out the most likely place for the Hulk to be able to smash his way out. He pointed at the door.

"Smash there." He ordered. The Hulk grunted before driving a massive fist into the door, splintering it into smithereens. The wall around it was next to go, not as reinforced as the rest of the room.

"Good job, Big Green." The words were barely out of his mouth before gunshots sounded, the Hulk batting them away like angry bees. Peter stayed right behind him, not wanting to get hit. An angry roar had most of the guards running away, but the jerky guy who seemed to be in charge was still standing there, a few soldiers around him.

"Aim for the little one!" He was yelling. Peter grinned and jumped on the Hulk's back, sticking there. Big Green seemed to realize what he was doing and made sure to keep his front towards the guards.

"Let's get out of here buddy!" Peter yelled over the gunfire and the moron. The Hulk roared again, which Peter was guessing meant something like: 'What do you think I'm trying to do?'

Surprisingly enough, it really wasn't all that hard to get out of the building. The hard part was when they were outside; they had no idea where they were. At least, Peter didn't, and he was fairly certain that the Hulk didn't either.

"Well Big Guy, pick a direction." He said, knowing that there would likely be lot of alarms going off pretty soon, likely even a helicopter or two. Peter was pretty sure the Hulk could take them, but he didn't want to check. The Hulk started off jogging towards the sun. Peter figured that was as good a direction as any other and jumped to the other guy's shoulder, hoping that he would be able to hold on for a while. Judging by how dizzy he was, he might not.

* * *

By the time Tony, Steve, and Natasha got to the bunker, it was almost completely destroyed, and only General Ross and a handful of soldiers were left.

"You know, I'm starting to think they didn't need our help." Tony commented, surveying the scurrying soldiers.

"There's still something left to do." Natasha corrected, her eyes trained on the yelling general. Tony grinned and lowered his faceplate.

"You in, Cap?" Steve smiled.

"Let's scare the bejeebers out of him."

"Are you the reinforcements? It took you long enough to get here!" Tony decided immediately that he didn't like the stuffy rude man. Natasha being the first one off, it was understandable that Ross thought they were all normal.

"Sorry Ross, we aren't here to help." Tony walked out of the plane, Steve right behind him. He wished he had a camera to capture Ross's face and show Bruce.

* * *

They found them an hour later, in the opposite direction of the village, two dark spots against the light-colored sand and grass. Peter was unconscious, with Bruce bent over him.

"You know doc, there are better ways to take a vacation." Tony called. Bruce shook his head.

"Not now Tony. Peter needs medical attention. I think he's got some broken ribs, and a broken arm, and May will kill us if anything happens to him." Bruce stood after Steve picked up Peter to put him in the jet.

"Oh, and there's the little fact that I'm still more than a little ticked at you." He brushed past the billionaire into the jet, Tony right behind him.

"Aw, don't be that way! If it makes you feel any better, Ross won't be bugging you anymore!" He called over the roar of the engine. Bruce sat in one of the chairs, leaning his head against the wall.

"That's a nice thought, but it's never going to happen." He said, unable to make himself feel really concerned about that fact.

"Well, it should help that he's a little beat up. And Natasha stripped him of his rank, which I totally didn't know she could do." Tony said, grinning. Bruce shrugged.

"Trust me, that won't stop him." Ross's hatred of him knew no bounds. Tony settled into one of the other seats.

"Yeah, he seems to really hate you. Why?" Bruce closed his eyes, a small smirk on his face.

"I may have dated his daughter." He replied. Betty. She was so beautiful, even as a fading memory.

"Wait, that's the Betty you told me about?" Tony asked, obviously shocked. Bruce opened one eye.

"When did I tell you about her?" He asked. He really wasn't sure when that was.

"Uh, I think it was right after the battle. You were pretty out of it, and kept babbling about her." Bruce closed his eye again. He was exhausted, always was after a transformation. It didn't take long for him to drift off.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Really, really, really long chapter! I could have broken it up, but there weren't really any good points to do it, so you get an absurdly long chapter instead!**

**Quick warning: I have not read the comics, so I don't know how certain characters are in those. I have only watched the Incredible Hulk (2003) and the Avengers.**

* * *

_**Am I to blame when the guilt and the shame **_

_**Hang over me **_

_**Like a dark cloud that chases you down In the pouring rain  
**_

_**It's so hard to find someone who **_

_**Cares about you**_

_**-Someone Who Cares; Three Days Grace**_

* * *

It seemed as though he was only asleep a few moments when Bruce was shaken awake.

"C'mon buddy, time to get up." Bruce opened his eyes to see Tony standing in front of him.

"Good, you're awake! We dropped Peter off at the hospital, and Steve stayed with him, but I figured you'd want to check on the kids." Bruce ran a hand through his hair, willing himself awake.

"Um, right. Okay. Thanks." It wasn't until he moved to stand and had to clutch at what was left of his pants that he realized a much greater need.

"Uh, do you know where-" Tony handed him a bundle of clothes and he smiled gratefully, momentarily forgetting his anger at the billionaire.

"Thanks." It didn't take long for him to change. Tony occupied himself with a whispered phone call in the front of the jet. Bruce quickly left the jet and made his way to the hut. He was relievd to see the three sleeping peacefully. It appeared that they were out of the woods. He lowered himself to sit on the ground, wincing when Abeni's eyes opened. However, she merely held out her arms in a mute plea. Bruce smiled and gently gathered her into his arms, stiffening a little when she snuggled against her chest, then quickly relaxing when her breaths turned deep and even. He was well on his way to joining her in slumber when the blanket/door moved.

* * *

Doctor Elizabeth "Betty" Ross really wasn't sure what to think when she got a call from the co-CEO of Stark Industries, politely requesting that she go to Africa for a special favor. She did know that a lowly college professor shouldn't turn down the opportunity to have someone that high up owe them a favor. So she went. As she surveyed the scene in front of her, she was glad that she did. Two boys were sleeping on a mat, but it was the man sitting cross-legged on the mat beside them that took her breath away. His hair had grown again, the curly locks messy, and there was a lot more gray and wrinkles than she remembered, but it was still him. It was still his brown eyes looking at her, tired with an edge of curiosity. It was still Bruce, a little girl cradled in his arms as he stroked her hair. There had been a look of peace on his face until he saw her. She lifted a hand.

"Hi Bruce."

* * *

Bruce often had hallucinations like this after he changed. He stared at his mind's reflection with a mixture of curiosity and pain. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. His mind had even aged her a little, there were laugh lines around her eyes now, and a few more wrinkles around her mouth. She had even spoken, her voice as musical as ever. He closed his eyes, hoping that she would be gone when he opened them. It was too painful for her to appear like this.

"Bruce? What's wrong?" Bruce took a slow, steadying breath, still stroking Abeni's hair absentmindedly.

"You're a figment of my mind." He reminded himself. Sometimes it helped to remind himself out loud. He heard movement and was about to open his eyes when he tasted her lips on his, a sweet brush that left his head lifting, searching for more. He opened his eyes to see her standing over him, a smile on her lips.

"I'm real Bruce. I'm here." She assured him. Bruce carefully put Abeni down before slowly standing and taking her in his arms, just holding her, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her scent, feeling her heartbeat in tandem with his. It didn't take long for him to decide that this was worth imprisonment and some discomfort. A few punches? Nothing. He would go through anything for this. However, he knew they had to separate sometime, so when she started to pull away, he allowed her, but only enough so that he could see her face. His arms were still looped around her neck though.

"How did you-When did you?" Bruce couldn't seem to form a full sentence. Betty smiled up at him and he had to resist the urge to kiss her again.

"I got a phone call. Yesterday, from Ms. Potts. She asked me to come here." She said, still somewhat breathless. Bruce had to admit, this was a pretty good technique in sucking up on Tony's part. He dipped down for another kiss, this one lasting much longer. Life was good.

* * *

It wasn't until they got back to the Tower that the vicious cycle of doubt started. Bruce took one look at May's face when she saw Peter and ran for his private lab. He couldn't handle the fact that Peter's injuries were his fault. If Peter had never known him, he would have never gotten hurt trying to help. It was all his fault, and he wanted to keep everyone else safe, especially Betty. If she got hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.

"Bruce." Clint called his name from the doorway. The doctor didn't turn around, even when he heard the click thump that the archer made walking with his broken leg.

"Bruce, you can't hide forever. Betty's getting worried." The archer commented. Bruce shook his head.

"Clint, not now." He said. He really couldn't handle talking about this right now. Clint moved a little closer, hopping up to sit on the table in front of Bruce, studying the scientist for a few moments.  
"You know, there was this job I had in Libya. A target needed to be taken out, so Natasha and I were both sent." Against his wishes, Bruce found himself listening to Clint's story.

"There was a slight problem though. You see, there was the son of a man there, a man who was a former target. The son recognized me, and decided to use his considerable resources to grab me. Unfortunately, Tasha got in the way, so he just took both of us." Clint ducked his head, looking down at his cast. "It didn't take long for the son to figure out what my weakness was, and Tasha was beaten in front of me." Bruce winced. He knew how much the two assassins cared for each other, and could just imagine how much that would torture the archer. Actually, he kind of knew. Only much of the time he was the one doing the beating.

"What happened?" Bruce questioned quietly. Clint looked up with a somewhat creepy smile.

"We beat the shit out of him, then I took Natasha back to medical, much to her protests." Bruce smiled, then raised an eyebrow.

"But see, there's a difference between our situations. I'm usually doing the beating." He said, looking back down at his notebook. Clint slapped him, the sound resonating in the room. Bruce could only stand there, shocked at the normally non-physical archer's action.

"W-what?" He stammered out. Clint shrugged, his face calm.

"I've decided that every time you refer to the Other Guy in a negative context, I'm going to slap you. He's obvious not going to hurt anyone, but maybe you should talk to Peter about that." Bruce was silent as he watched Clint limp out of the room, but his mind was anything but. What if the archer was right? What if the Other Guy really was good? And what did he mean about asking Peter? Bruce sighed and slipped off his glasses. He knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything without getting to the bottom of this.

* * *

Peter's room was empty besides the teenager, surprisingly enough. Actually, so were all of the hallways going there. Bruce felt that was kind of suspicious, but still grateful. He quietly slipped into the room.

"Hey Bruce." Peter greeted from the bed, putting aside his textbook with a look of relief. Bruce looked down at his feet.

"Hey Peter." His voice was quiet.

"What's up?" Peter asked. Bruce shrugged.

"Clint said I should talk to you about, what happened." He said, still not looking up.

"Oh yeah, sure, I guess." Peter replied, "Come sit down, you look weird standing by the door like that." Bruce went to the chair and sat obediently, glad that Peter still looked like he was in a good mood and comfortable around him.

"Let's see, I'm gonna skip the whole getting beat up part, 'cause I have a feeling that you don't really want to hear it. Um, I went unconscious for a little while, but maybe a half hour after I woke up, some guys came in and took me to this observation room. Ross was in there, and he was watching you. Well, watching the Hulk." Peter was smiling now, and Bruce had to wonder why.

"You were pretty mad, beating at the walls and roaring. Ross had come up with a brilliant idea for getting rid of me; throw me in there with you. According to him, you would then be devastated over smashing me." Bruce ran a hand through his hair. Even thinking about it made him feel horrible. Peter caught his eye, looking a little more serious.

"I gotta admit, I was a little nervous. I've never seen you that mad, and I was in pretty bad shape." Bruce looked down at his hands again, rubbing his knuckles.

"Turned out I didn't need to worry. Big Green recognized me, smashed where I told him to, then let me hitch a ride on his back, even protected me from bullets. I would have loved to see the look on Ross's face." Peter finished, grinning. Bruce was shocked. He hadn't though the Hulk could recognize people when he was that angry. Be talked down maybe, but not calm down on his own. He was a monster, unable to be controlled. Or at least, that's what he thought. And where did that put him with Betty, and leaving?

"You're wondering what to do about Betty, aren't you?" Peter was surprisingly perceptive for being a teenage boy. Apparently Bruce's face revealed his confusion, and Peter laughed.

"I did the same thing with Gwen. I had to promise her father to stay away, and protect her from my enemies. He didn't want her to get hurt because of me, and neither did I. So I promised him." Peter's smile had turned sad now. "It took me a couple days, but I figured out that it wasn't fair to do that to her. She has can make her own decisions. I can protect her from those who want to hurt her, but sometimes that's best done by her side." Bruce could only stare at Peter.

"How did you-I need to go find Betty." He got up, giving a wave before leaving, "Thanks Peter."

* * *

Bruce bypassed the elevators, feeling an urgency that the stairs seemed appropriate for, and went straight for the assembly floor where Tony was showing her the Loki-imprint. When Bruce burst out of the stairwell, they both turned in surprise, Betty's quickly fading to wariness. Bruce slowly walked forward, ignoring Tony's quick exit. Betty just kept looking at him, her blue(are they blue?) eyes filled with wariness and maybe a little excitement. Or maybe that was his imagination.

"Betty…I have to tell you something." He said, rubbing the back of his head. She nodded.

"I'm an idiot." She nodded again, apparently agreeing with him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at the floor. It was safer than her eyes.

"I-I've always tried to…protect you…ever since the accident. From myself, and those who would like to…use me…I didn't contact you, didn't even want SHIELD to know about you." Bruce paused, gathering his thoughts. "Then…Then you were in Africa, and you looked…well, like the best think I'd seen in seven years." Betty gave a breathless laugh at that. Bruce would have loved to just kiss her right then, but he had to get this out.

"Then we came home, and I wanted to protect you…protect everyone… I talked to Peter, which is actually kind of sad, that I'm taking advice from a 17 year old. I guess he's smarter than me though, since he told me something that I couldn't figure out with ten years." Bruce started rubbing his knuckles again, still not meeting her eyes.

"It's not fair for me to make this decision for you…Or anyone else for that matter…It's your decision, not mine, and I'm going to shut up and let you make it." Bruce couldn't remember ever being this nervous before, and he'd been running for his life for about seven years. It seemed like hours before she gave a small smile and spoke.

"Do you know what the first thing about you I fell in love with was?" Bruce really wasn't expecting that, and just shook his head. She reached out and took his hand, stroking it.

"Your hands. They were always moving, always doing something. They enchanted me, and when I looked into your eyes, I was gone." She lifted his hand to her lips, and he moved a little closer, waiting for that one sentence.

"Yes Bruce, I choose you." Her eyes were sparkling, but he barely noticed, quickly replacing his hand with his lips. He never, never wanted to let her go. They finally drew apart, foreheads touching.

"I love you." Bruce had never heard sweeter words.

" .You." He punctuated each word with a kiss. She looked ready to reciprocate, until an all too familiar tone rang out.

"Avengers Assemble. Avengers Assemble." Bruce had never hated a phrase so much.

"You need to go." Betty told him. Bruce shook his head, smiling.

"I still have a few minutes."

**The End**

**(Maybe.)**

* * *

**And the prize for longest chapter in any of my fics goes to... Chapter 7 with 2,399 words! Good job! :P  
**


	8. Chapter 8

I have the sequel posted! So go read it! :D


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